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Cruise Saudi Welcomes AROYA to Jeddah

AROYA arrived in Jeddah on Saturday in preparation for establishing Jeddah Islamic Port as the primary departure point for its tourist cruises in the Red Sea. SPA
AROYA arrived in Jeddah on Saturday in preparation for establishing Jeddah Islamic Port as the primary departure point for its tourist cruises in the Red Sea. SPA
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Cruise Saudi Welcomes AROYA to Jeddah

AROYA arrived in Jeddah on Saturday in preparation for establishing Jeddah Islamic Port as the primary departure point for its tourist cruises in the Red Sea. SPA
AROYA arrived in Jeddah on Saturday in preparation for establishing Jeddah Islamic Port as the primary departure point for its tourist cruises in the Red Sea. SPA

Cruise Saudi, a Public Investment Fund company, has announced that AROYA Cruises’ inaugural ship, AROYA, arrived in Jeddah on Saturday in preparation for establishing Jeddah Islamic Port as the primary departure point for its tourist cruises in the Red Sea.
The occasion was celebrated with a traditional plaque and key ceremony attended by Chief Executive Officer of Cruise Saudi Lars Clasen, President of AROYA Cruises Dr. Jörg Rudolph, Captain of AROYA Jan Gelinder, and Chief Destination Experiences Officer Barbara Buczek.
According to a statement, after months of dry-docking and innovative design work in Bremerhaven and Rotterdam—where 95% of the ship’s spaces were completely transformed to reflect Arabian heritage—AROYA is now set to provide “an exceptional cruising experience with a fully reimagined interior.”
The ship, the statement added, is outfitted with a wide range of world-class facilities, including a souq-inspired shopping district—the largest retail area ever built on a cruise ship—luxurious spa facilities, a wellness center, 29 restaurants, lounges, and cafés, 20 entertainment venues, and one of the largest children’s play areas at sea.
Cruise Saudi confirmed that the infrastructure and logistics services at Jeddah Islamic Port are fully prepared to accommodate large cruise ships, following a comprehensive modernization of its facilities. The port’s historical significance as the primary gateway to the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah further enhances its status as a global tourist hub.
“The arrival of AROYA marks the beginning of a new chapter for Cruise Saudi and tourism in Saudi overall, in line with Saudi’s Vision 2030,” said Chief Executive Officer of Cruise Saudi Lars Clasen.

“Cruise Saudi was only launched in 2021, and witnessing the arrival of our first owned ship just three years later is a huge milestone. We are so grateful to the whole Cruise Saudi team for their hard work and dedication and are excited to be offering something truly unique to local, regional, and international guests with the first-ever Arabian cruise line,” he added.
AROYA’s maiden voyage will depart Jeddah on December 16, taking passengers on a three-night journey across the Red Sea.

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Schools Shut on Greek Islands after Heavy Rainstorms Flood Roads

Stranded vehicles are seen in flood water in Naoussa, in the island of Paros, Greece March 31, 2025 in this screen grab from social media video. (Lorene Junillon/via Reuters)
Stranded vehicles are seen in flood water in Naoussa, in the island of Paros, Greece March 31, 2025 in this screen grab from social media video. (Lorene Junillon/via Reuters)
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Schools Shut on Greek Islands after Heavy Rainstorms Flood Roads

Stranded vehicles are seen in flood water in Naoussa, in the island of Paros, Greece March 31, 2025 in this screen grab from social media video. (Lorene Junillon/via Reuters)
Stranded vehicles are seen in flood water in Naoussa, in the island of Paros, Greece March 31, 2025 in this screen grab from social media video. (Lorene Junillon/via Reuters)

Schools and kindergartens were closed on several Greek islands including Paros and Mykonos on Tuesday after severe weather brought torrential rain, flooding and hailstorms to the Aegean Sea.

Authorities in Paros were struggling to remove vehicles stranded by the muddy waters after torrential rain swept through the island, a popular tourist spot in the summer, late on Monday.

"Roads have been damaged and we need help with more machines so that we can clear the streets," Paros' mayor Costas Bizas told public broadcaster ERT. "All this catastrophe happened in two hours."

The severe weather continued until the early hours of the morning, blanketing grasslands in nearby Mykonos with white balls of ice and prompting civil protection authorities to order the closure of schools there and on other islands, including Syros, Symi, Kalymnos and Kos.

Greece has been ravaged by floods frequently in recent years, with scientists attributing the extreme weather to warming waters amid rising global temperatures.

A devastating rainstorm, the worst to hit Greece in nearly a century, killed 17 people and caused extensive damage across the central agricultural region of Thessaly in 2023.